Columbia City man accused of assaulting woman during massage at his unrelated business

Lisa Esquivel Long

lesquivel@news-sentinel.com

A 56-year-old Columbia City man was arrested Thursday morning on multiple misdemeanor battery charges after a woman accused him of touching her during a massage at his business.

Detective Matt Teusch of the Indiana State Police Criminal Investigation Division at the Fort Wayne Post conducted a 3-month-long investigation that resulted in the three battery charges against the suspect.

The investigation revealed that on Oct. 27, a Columbia City woman scheduled a massage with the owner of an unrelated business, who purportedly told her that he was a certified massage therapist. At around 7:30 p.m. that day she returned to the man’s Columbia City business, according to a State Police news release.

During the victim’s visit, the suspect allegedly touched her in a sexually explicit manner three times. On Nov. 1, she contacted the Fort Wayne Post to lodge her criminal complaint, according to the release.

The man was taken to the Whitley County Jail. He has since been released on bond. The News-Sentinel is not naming him because the charges are not felonies.